Shire adopts budget

THE Surf Coast Shire has adopted its 2018-19 budget, allocating $24.3 million allocated to 74 capital works projects.

These projects include works identified through the shire’s Community Project Development Program, which supports local groups to raise new project ideas and work with council staff to explore their feasibility.

New additions to the budget as a result include:

• $41,000 for a new dressage arena at Connewarre
• $26,000 for new netball shelter sheds at Anglesea
• $33,500 for upgrades to Anglesea Rowing Shed asset protection, and
• $55,000 for football goal safety nets at Torquay’s Spring Creek Reserve.

The shire received 29 submissions to the draft budget and has also now allocated for projects including:

• $199,000 for traffic improvement in Winchelsea
• $150,000 ongoing for increased road maintenance across the shire
• $50,000 ongoing for streetscape and town beautification works across the shire
• $45,000 towards new memorial cairns in Winchelsea, government funding also required
• $28,000 to upgrade heating and cooling at the Globe Theatre in Winchelsea
• $28,000 for further planning work for an arts and culture space in Torquay, and
• $20,000 for the Lorne community’s Aspirations plan.

Councillors adopted the budget at their meeting on Tuesday night.

Shire mayor David Bell thanked community members for their responses to the draft budget.

“It is important that our ratepayers and their various organisations know that they can be part this process,” he said.

“We had many good submissions to consider, and they have enabled us to identify several other key projects.

“Our allocation of $150,000 ongoing funding for increased road maintenance across the shire was a significant response to community concern.”

The average residential rate increase of 2.25 per cent is in line with the state government’s rate capping regime.

A waste charge increase of eight per cent will respond to global changes in the recycling industry, as well as enabling planned improvements to waste services and rehabilitation at Anglesea landfill site.

The council aims to deliver projects worth $20.4 million during the next financial year.